Walker and Co. Puts the ‘Personal’ Back in Personal Care with Products Designed for People of Color

It’s hard not to be inspired by Tristan Walker’s vision instantly. Just scrolling his Walker and Company website leaves you feeling that, this guy gets it. A company with the mission of “making health and beauty simple for people of color” doesn’t rely on flash (or brown and gold colors) to sell its products. Instead it simply highlights the product itself and all the diverse faces of its team members working to change the health and beauty industry from the inside out.

If they can’t understand the frustration of a trillion-dollar market that is tired of being underserved and ignored in the health and beauty area, who can?

With $26M in investment from venture capitalists and celebrity investors like Nas, Walker & Co. Brands is on track make an indelible make on the personal care market. Target has already signed up to sell its flagship product, the Bevel razor system in stores and on Target.com. The single blade razor system reduces the problem of skin irritation and razor bumps for men and women with coarse, curly hair – which affects up to 80% of African Americans and up to 30% of people of other races.

The Bevel System can also be purchased directly from the brand and is $60 plus shipping and includes: a Bevel Razor and Bevel Badger Brush, a 3-month supply of Bevel Priming Oil, Bevel Shave Cream, Bevel Restoring Balm, and 60 Bevel Blades.

Walker and Company Brands also recently announced the release of its second grooming product – the Bevel Trimmer. Specifically designed for people with coarse or curly hair to the proprietary designed trimmer achieves the most precise cut without irritation.

Nas is a brand ambassador for the product and is featured alongside his barber, Marcus Harvey, in its introductory video.

“This product is needed. It’s kind of crazy that there hasn’t been any real innovation in this space. We deserve better,” said Nas. “When Tristan first showed the Trimmer to me and my barber, we knew it was a game-changer because it has what barbers and consumers want – it cuts precise and clean lines, it’s powerful, clean and well-designed. I think people are going to love it.”

The Bebel Trimmer is $180 and available for pre-order. The product is expected to ship in the spring of 2016.

The 31-year old founder is staying tight-lipped on his next product release, but Fast Company’s J.J. McCorvey, reported seeing a “cluster of sample shampoos and leave-in conditioners on Walker’s desk” during a recent interview.

With a 90% reorder rate for Walker’s grooming products to date, it would be great to see him and his team bring some of that solutions-oriented magic to the hair care space (pretty, please:)). But, of course all good things take time.

Considering Walker only launched his company in 2013 and three short years later has one of the top products in the personal care space, a second product ready to launch this year, millions in VC funding, a celebrity investor starring in his commercials, customers clamoring to reorder his goods and a mission-focused team behind him; I’m guessing that there will be a lot of good created by this company for years to come.